try a home HbA1C test kit. They are available at amazon.com and drugstore.com. The brand name is BioSafe. You put blood on a treated strip and send it in to a lab for results. Costs $20-25 and gives average blood sugar over the last 3 months. HbA1C and A1C are the same test, either name might be used.

A home glucose monitor, used to test fasting (like when you wake up after a night with no food or calorie beverage), as well as one hour and two hours after meals containing carbs would be handy.

Instead of just glucose test strips for urine, get Keto Diastix. These test both glucose and ketones. Ketones are often present when you are losing weight/burning fat. Unfortunately, the presence of ketones in your urine interferes with detecting glucose in your urine, so urine glucose results can be inaccurate, in that situation.Keto-diastix are about $11 for 50 strips, no prescription required in US-most drugstores and wal-mart pharmacy have them.

On another note ...I had one concern about expired strips.The expiration date is this month but I have plenty left.
How reliable are the results after expiration, anyone has experience using the left overs with success ? thanks